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bat

bat

281 1.0
A stick used to hit a ball in games like baseball or cricket
  • noun
  • /bæt/
: bate
  • The boy is at home plate with a bat in his hand and a determined look in his eye.
  • baseball bat
  • swing the bat
  • bat and ball

You might smash the baseball, the bat might get broken.

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Examples

  • The first U.S. patent for a baseball bat was awarded to William Williams in 1884.

    Academic text (2009)
  • You go into a toy store and there's a toy bat and a toy ball.

  • Keep your eye on that ball and keep a good firm grip on that bat.

  • I bounced a pop fly off Sylvia's bat and caught it against my chest.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • A baseball player wields a bat, a quarterback throws a football, and a golfer swings a driver.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The coach handed me a new baseball bat to practice my swing.

  • During the game, he skillfully swung the bat and hit a home run.

  • For her birthday, she received a cricket bat and a ball as presents.

Synonyms

baseball bat
vsbat
80 1.0

A long wooden or metal stick used to hit the ball in baseball

is the general name for such hitting implements across several ball sports
paddle
vsbat
  • US
30 2.1

A small flat bat used to hit balls in games like table tennis

is the wider name that also covers formal sport-specific hitting equipment
12 1.4

A light oval frame with strings that you use to hit a tennis ball

is the broader class that names hitting tools for many different ball sports
cricket bat
vsbat
  • UK
1 2.2

A flat piece of wood that players use to hit the ball in the game of cricket

is the broader category that includes sport-specific shapes and designs
1 3.4

A light piece of sports equipment with a long handle and a small oval head used to play squash

is the wide term for items used to strike balls in various sports
fungo
vsbat
  • Jargon
1 9.9

A long light bat coaches use to hit balls to fielders in practice

is the general term that also covers practice and game hitting implements
1 2.7

A small flat bat with a short handle used to hit the ball in table tennis

is the general term for hitting tools across multiple sports contexts
2.8

A small flat paddle you use to hit the ball in table tennis

is the inclusive label for similar tools across different ball games
table-tennis bat
vsbat
  • UK
2.7

A small flat paddle with a short handle used to hit the ball in table tennis

is the broader category that covers both table and larger sport implements
ballclub
vsbat
  • Archaic
7.4

A short heavy stick used to hit a ball or as a weapon

is the modern, neutral term for sporting hitting implements without violent sense

Idioms

off the bat
  • Informal
58 6.5

Right away without waiting

1 7.7

Not show any surprise when something unexpected happens

Support the other side or be gay

1 5.1

Very quickly, in almost no time

8.3

Support both sides in an argument to avoid choosing one

To do something without being asked or helped

turn up to bat
  • Informal
7.7

A chance to speak or act after others have had theirs

Compounds

80 1.0

A long wooden or metal stick used to hit the ball in baseball

at-bat
  • Jargon
45 5.7

A player's turn to try to hit the ball and get to a base in baseball

13 7.6

A Jewish ceremony for a girl at about 12 that marks becoming an adult in the faith

vampire bat
  • Specialized
7 5.1

A small flying mammal from Central and South America that drinks blood from animals

6 3.7

A large flying animal that lives in warm places and eats mostly fruit at night

bat boy
  • US
4 5.2

A boy who takes care of bats and other equipment for a baseball team

4 4.9

A large light that shows a bat shape in the sky to call Batman for help

2 4.8

A small bat that eats insects and lives in caves, trees and buildings worldwide

1 2.2

A flat piece of wood that players use to hit the ball in the game of cricket

1 8.6

A small dull yellow-brown flying animal with large ears that lives in caves

A small bat that flies fast, eats insects, and has a tail sticking out past the skin between its wings

A bat with a leaflike flap of skin on its nose that helps it find food at night

big brown bat
  • Specialized
1 7.1

A large brown bat in North America that eats insects at night

1 8.8

A small bat with fur that has white tips

red bat
  • US
1 7.2

A small North American bat with red fur that helps it hide in leaves

1 6.0

A small brown flying animal common in North America that sleeps in houses and forests

A bat with a horseshoe-shaped skin fold on its nose

A bat with very long ears that finds insects by sound

big-eared bat
  • Specialized
1 8.0

A large bat with very large ears that listens for insect sounds

1 9.9

A common bat with short soft fur found in the southern United States that flies south in winter

A small bat with short soft fur that migrates south in winter in the southern United States and Central America

A bat that eats insects and finds them by using sound

A bat that eats insects instead of drinking blood

freetailed bat
  • Specialized
1 8.8

A small fast bat that eats insects and has a long tail that sticks out past its wing skin

A bat with ears that look like a mouse's

1 8.7

A bat with large ears and pale yellow fur that lives in western North America caves

western big-eared bat
  • Specialized
1 8.4

A bat with very large ears that lives in western North America

A tree with grey leaves whose wood is used to make cricket bats

A small brown animal with fur that flies at night in Europe and eats insects

leafnose bat
  • Specialized
8.9

A bat with a leaf-shaped flap at the end of its nose

A bat with soft brown fur, folded ears, and small wings that sometimes runs on the ground

A small bat from tropical America that feeds on the blood of birds

harpy bat
  • Australian
9.9

A fruit-eating bat with tube-shaped nostrils that point outward

9.9

A small bat from Mexico with a long thin nose and small ears

9.9

A large night-flying animal with spotted fur and very large ears

nail bat
  • NSFW
9.8

A wooden club with sharp metal pieces used to hurt or scare people

orange bat
  • Australian
8.0

A bat with bright orange or yellow fur from northwest Australia

6.8

A small bat with orange fur that lives in forests in northwest Australia

9.9

A small brown bat that lives in California and northern Mexico

A small brown bat from California and northern Mexico with pockets near its tail

A small flat paddle with a short handle used to hit the ball in table tennis

tube-nosed bat
  • Australian
9.8

A fruit bat with nostrils that stick out like small tubes

9.5

A bat that eats fruit and has tube-shaped nostrils that point away from each other

true vampire bat
  • Specialized
9.2

A bat from tropical America that drinks the blood of animals like cows and birds

9.9

A bat with a pointed nose found in the Americas from the southern United States to Paraguay

9.3

A large flying animal with dark fur, white spots, and very large ears from the southwestern United States

vespertilian bat
  • Specialized
9.9

A bat that eats insects and uses sound to find them at dusk

How Big

baseball bat
80 1.0
cricket bat
  • UK
1 2.2
bat
281 1.0
tennis racket
12 1.4

Surface Forms

bat singular
bats plural

Etymology

Bat (noun, club) comes from an old word for a heavy stick or cudgel, so picture a strong wooden stick used for 'beating' the ball; that is why the sport tool is called a 'bat'.